How to Stop Being Your Own Opposition: Self Doubt and its Limitations

“I’m not cut out for this, it’s impossible”. “Why should I even bother? It’s me, so I'm definitely not gonna get it”. “I’ll just stick to this, I don’t think I’m capable of moving forward”. Sound familiar? Words you’ve uttered perhaps? In a world full of many adversaries and oppositions, the greatest of them all usually dwell within us.

Self-sabotage can easily be likened to that devil on your shoulder, whispering negative thoughts to shut your ideas down before they even have a chance. It never shouts, no- it coos in your ear while making sure you believe all the lies it’s shoving down your throat. And because that voice came from within, it's easy to take those words as law.

It’s easy to doubt yourself. The future is so uncertain and scary, and the people in it are even scarier. One look at the possibility of doing more, pushing yourself and going out of your comfort zone has you running back to the safe cocoon you’ve made in mediocrity.

But there’s so much more to you, and deep down, more often than not, you know it too. You have dreams and aspirations, and you want to be a better version of yourself every chance you get. This is where you need to pause, take a deep breath, and even close your eyes. Ask yourself, what do you have to lose? Your reputation? Reputations can be built as quickly as they are destroyed. Your money? You’d find something else to spend on anyway so why not fund your dreams this time? When you weigh the pros and cons, you realize that the only thing you stand to lose is fear– a healthy loss all things considered.

When we started the year, we promised not to ‘gree for anybody’, but that includes yourself. With a few more trials, a little more determination and courage, the angel will valiantly rise and push the devil off. But the outcome of that epic shoulder war can only be determined by you. So be prepared to try, and to fail and fail again. But also be prepared to grow, to learn and to reach even greater heights than those you dared to imagine. Stop being your own opp, because only you can define what success means to you, and only you can make the decision to try.